The Vikings are back from their bye at 5-0, and while the record is spotless, there’s still plenty on the to-do list for the long haul. So before Minnesota kicks off the next stretch of its schedule, the PFF 2027 NFL Mock Draft simulator gave the team a full seven-round haul for April.
It starts with safety Kingston Lopa, who has shot up draft boards over the first half of the college season. After barely seeing the field at Oregon before transferring, the third-year defensive back has turned himself into a potential first-rounder.
Through six games, Lopa has five interceptions, 104 return yards, and a touchdown to go with 31 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass defended. At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, he brings the kind of size and ball production teams covet at the modern safety spot.
With Harrison Smith expected to retire at some point, safety should be on Minnesota’s radar next offseason, and if the Vikings are picking around No. 30 as they are in this mock, Lopa would fit the bill.
The mock then jumps to cornerback Evan Johnson, though that feels a little early. Johnson has been strong in zone coverage and looks like a natural fit for Brian Flores’ defense, but at 6-feet, 185 pounds, without top-end athleticism, he may not be the best value here. Still, the BYU corner did lead the Big 12 with five interceptions last season, and if he can build on his one pick in 2026, his stock could keep climbing.
If the simulator had flipped Johnson and Ahmad Moten Sr., that would have made more sense. The Miami defensive tackle looks like a second-rounder, maybe even a late first-round pick, thanks to his all-around game.
He’s active against the run and can also push the pocket as a pass rusher, even if he isn’t elite at either trait. At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Moten is quick and a little on the smaller side for the position, but his rush upside and overall consistency make him an appealing piece.
Minnesota already added Caleb Banks and Dominique Orange in the 2026 draft, but there’s room for more size up front. Banks is a gap-shooting athlete, while Orange is a massive run-stuffer. A more balanced interior lineman like Moten could give the Vikings another useful option depending on the matchup.
The simulator also sent Texas running back Hollywood Smothers to Minnesota with the team’s second third-round pick, and that’s another spot that lines up with a future transition. Aaron Jones isn’t going to be around forever, and Smothers could help ease that handoff.
He needs work in pass protection and as a receiver, but the traits are obvious. He’s shown at Texas, NC State, and Oklahoma that he can run between the tackles and still bring the burst to turn a crease into a big play.
Later on, Minnesota added another safety in Oregon’s Koi Perich. At 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds, Perich has been a solid player this season and was one reason Lopa couldn’t crack the Ducks’ lineup.
He’s versatile, plays downhill, and brings some thump near the line of scrimmage. As a depth and rotation pick in the secondary, it makes sense.
Day 3 brought a guard in Brandon Baker, and the appeal there is straightforward: pass protection. Baker probably isn’t ready to start at guard in Week 1 of 2027, but he has one standout trait, and that matters in the later rounds. He hasn’t allowed a sack in more than 500 passing situations, which gives him a real chance to compete for a backup job and maybe grow into more.
Quarterback also shows up in the mock, with Josh Hoover slotted as a future answer behind Kyler Murray. If Minnesota does look for Murray’s eventual replacement, the source suggests that would likely happen before Round 5.
There’s also the possibility that if Murray plays well the rest of the season, the need shifts from finding a starter to developing a backup for the next few years. Hoover led the Big 12 with 13 interceptions last season, but at Indiana he hasn’t thrown one yet.
He’s smart, accurate, and careful with the ball, and while he looks more like an NFL backup, Kevin O’Connell might be able to squeeze more out of him.
The mock closes with a pair of wideouts to add depth behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, where the drop-off is steep. DeAndre Moore Jr. would give Minnesota a 6-foot YAC receiver who can line up in different spots and make plays after the catch. Ian Strong is built differently: the 6-foot-4 target is a polished route-runner who could become a red-zone option for Murray, or Hoover, down the road.
In Other News...
Vikings Rookie Could Be Forcing A Linebacker Decision
Jake Golday has spent most of his first NFL season on the margins of the Vikings defense, but the rookie linebacker is starting to make a case for a larger role. With the team coming out of its bye week, Minnesota has reason to take a harder look at its depth at linebacker, especially with defensive coordinator Brian Flores signaling that the younger players will need to help carry the load moving forward.
Goldays recent work has put him on the radar at the same time Ivan Pace Jr. has seen his own snaps trimmed, creating a little more room for movement in the rotation. The Vikings do not need to force anything if the fit is not right, but they do need answers as the season stretches on, and Golday has put himself in position to be part of that discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Fans Are Reopening The J.J. McCarthy Debate Fast
J.J. McCarthy finally got a meaningful run of snaps in Week 6, and it did not take long for the old Minnesota questions to come roaring back. In his first significant game action for the Giants against the Saints, he completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown, a reminder of the talent that made him such a talked-about prospect in the first place.
For Vikings fans, the reaction has been familiar: a mix of what might have been and what never really had a chance to fully develop in Minnesota. McCarthys brief run with the Vikings was cut short by injuries, and even now the conversation around him is less about where he is than what the Vikings were able to see before everything went sideways. [Read more 🡒]
Blake Cashman Just Gave Vikings Fans Another Reason To Believe
Blake Cashman has become one of the quieter reasons Minnesotas defense has looked so sturdy through the first five games. In his third season with the Vikings, the linebacker has supplied 2.5 sacks and has been one of the teams most disruptive pass rushers, leading the club in QB pressure rate among players with at least 30 pass-rush snaps. With Minnesota sitting at 5-0 and backing that record with a top-ranked defense, Cashmans rise fits neatly into the bigger picture of a group that has found a way to look both fast and connected.
Cashman has also been willing to talk about the bigger prize, and that matters in a market that has waited a long time for a true championship run. He spoke openly about wanting the Vikings to win a Super Bowl and what it would mean for the state, which is exactly the kind of mindset a locker room can feed off when the season starts to feel like something more than a hot streak. For now, the defense is doing its part, and Cashman keeps adding to the sense that this team is not just winning early but chasing something far more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]